Look what followed me home!

I have an extremely slow connection today so it will be interesting to see if any of this loads and works.  Before the weather even hit us last night the power went out in our area for about 5 hours.  It came back on right before we got a little thunderstorm. 

 ANYWAY…

WHAT THA? 

Where did that come from?

I innocently went into my LYS to help with a demonstration day and this followed me home with some gorgeous roving (which I didn’t take a picture of pre-spun). But here is a picture of what I had spun as of 6pm.

I’ve more than doubled that now. I think I’m a little taken with this.  While I have played at this a couple of times, this is my first real attempt at spinning.

Ultimately, I want to knit my own sock yarn, but I don’t think this first ”yarn” will be used for anything like that. Maybe a hat or mittens.

In other new…

I promised Sockergirl that I would take a picture of the socks she knitted me with my red clogs…

I wore them during the very brief period of time last week that we had sensible weather.  Gorgeous and very comfortable!

I did get my August Socks That Rock kit last week. I love it. Quite possibly my fav colorway/pattern combo yet. Even though most have gotten their kits, I am going to refrain from showing any pictures a little longer.

Finally, another brush with nature. I was innocently knitting in my fav chair which sits with its back to my backyard. I noticed Marmalade staring intently but figured it was a bunny or bird. I turned around to see this standing only 5-ish feet from the house (originally.  It moved by the time I found the camera)…

Actually, there where 2 of them…both young bucks. Very startling.

Bound & Determined!

I have been working on my Solstice Slip socks from the Socks that Rock Club exclusively for the last couple of days.  Finally, FINALLY I finish them!

time frame: 7/9/07-8/21/07 

pattern:  The Solstice Slip Sock by JC Briar from the Bluemoon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Club

yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight colorway: Firebird

needle: 2.5mm Inox Express 40″

size: medium (I wear a 9.5 US shoe)

modification: not many, really.  I did do the provisional cast on but used one that I think Cat Bordhi does where you provisionally cast on over the cable of your needle (Magic Loop).  I put my standard ribbing on the bottom.  I guess that is it.

I really like the way these came out, although I lost interest in them after awhile.  Great fit!  Proud to add them to my handknit sock collection!

I finished them just in time.  I saw a post today on the Socks That Rock blog that says that the East Coast August kits are in the mail!!  Woohoo!

IN OTHER NEWS…

My downstream sockpal sent me pictures to prove what she said:

They do look like they fit well. And they have found a nice, new home. *sniff* I’ll miss them so.

An Embarrassment of WIPs

I’m taking a break from all the cleaning to share my latest pictures of WIPs.  I will say that so far I have gotten quite a bit done (on the housework).  Kitchen clean, 4 loads of laundry done (2 folded and put away), vacuuming, sweeping, dusting done.  I’m going to be honest, I know that sounds like nearly everything and certainly the house looks better but it just needs so much more.  Cindy and Bethany have heard me say this before, I just need someone to come in and help me do all the really deep cleaning stuff.  And then I need an organizing specialist to come in and help with that mess!!!  Ugh!  This is why I don’t like to clean…it never ends up making me feel any better!!

Now onto a better subject:

I’ll begin with the oldest:

Work has not gone quite as planned on this but I am still determined to finish it. I have a new goal of having it done before Stitches East in October. We’ll see.

Then we have the Hufflepuff socks for Hogwarts Sock Swap II:

Trying to teach Lucky to knit them up but he is all hooves.

Socks That Rock June Kit (The Solstice Slip Socks):

The August kit is getting mailed off this week or early next week and I really want to be finished or nearly there by the time it arrives. I have cast on for the second sock and am going to catch it up to the first sock so that they are the same length having used as much of the yarn as I can.

After finishing my niece’s Wrap Dress I got gung-ho to work on her brother and sister’s October birthday gifts and casted this on:

Nearly done! Refer to this for the details but notice that I changed the colors.  J helped there and it is now refered to as the Mint Chocolate Chip Vest.

I joined Sockknitter’s Anonymous on Ravelry and they are doing a sock a month kal (you actually have 2 months to knit them, thank goodness) and every month you have the choice between a different technique or designer. This month was lace/Sockbug so I chose the lace and I chose Early Spring Socks. I’m doing them out of HipKnits 100% Cashmere.

Love the pattern and the yarn is heavenly!

The August pattern on Socktopia is a Mystery Sock. I originally picked Jitterbug yarn in Copperbeach to do this but soon discovered that the pattern gets completely lost in it. I switched yarns and this is where I am.

Sorry, not much to see. The yarn I’m using now is KP Essentials Tweed in Inca Gold.

And, as if this all wasn’t enough, I started a new project on Tuesday. Its the Minimalist Cardigan from IK Fall 2007. I’m using some stash (YES!!!! YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT!!!) Cascade Sierra in a Chocolate Brown color.

Only 1.5″ until I decrease for the armholes!

OK, I just heard the dryer stop so I have better go take care of that and do another 45 minutes of housework! On my next break I am knitting!!!

Oh, the games we play…

I hate housework! 

Plain and simple.  Don’t get me wrong…I love a clean house.  Not too clean but clean.  But I hate actually doing it.  No, that isn’t completely true.  Sometimes I really get into the actual act of cleaning.  What I hate, I think, is when it takes me away from what I really want to be doing instead.  Well, duh!  For instance, I could really clean a house when I was in college because I would rather be doing that instead of writing a paper due the next day… get it?  And if the house needs to be cleaned on a deadline, well that makes it all the harder to get me up to do it.

 Anyway, I’ve struck a deal with myself.  A little game, if you will.  I am going to set the timer for 45 minutes and in that time I HAVE to be constantly cleaning.  When the timer goes off I am allowed (but not required to) stop and do something I want to do (knit, watch TV, surf the net) for 15 minutes.  Then I have to go back to housework for 45 minutes.  Now, if I choose to keep at what I’m cleaning I can and then take a 15 minute break when I choose to.  Hey, at least its more than I’m doing right now.

Another strategy is that I am going to start listening to the Harry Potter series again from the beginning.  So I will have that on my MP3 while I am cleaning.  Honestly, I get so lost in that story that it nearly makes housecleaning palatable.

I’ll let you know how this goes…and I plan on taking pictures of WIPs today if the sun cooperates.

As if I knitted them myself!!

Really!  She even put the ribbing on the sole of the foot like I like.  How thoughtful!  But I’m getting ahead of myself!  Let me start at the beginning:

I knew my socks were coming today because my pal was kind enough to email and tell me my tracking number.  I also knew what else was arriving today.

We have a few (read: lots of) trees that need to be trimmed and/or taken down.  Because we are (he is) such DIYers, we decided to just rent the “cherry-picker” and do it ourselves.  He was like a kid with a new Tonka toy!  This was one of the first trees that had to go since it threatened to wipe out the next car that drove by:

It went from that to this:

And left this behind:

Horrors!!  How would the UPS man get my package to me!?!  Well, I just stood down near the road and pretended to be busily picking up sticks until the brown truck drove by.  Success!  I then decided that I needed a break from all this backbreaking work and went inside.

Cute card, huh? 

Original artwork by Sockergirl  with my sailboat and Marmalade on the stern! 

Venturing into the box I discovered:

There was a small toy that looks like a mermaid, a really nifty post-it holder from Lanternmoon, a SOAK mini, and a heart-shaped tin that unzips. Inside the tin (which would be perfect for notions!) was:

A sheep tape measure (one I haven’t seen yet!) and my SOCKS!

Pattern: Mashed-up Madness from the Sock Madness KAL
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway: Glenwood (105)
my thoughts: GORGEOUS! The yarn is a beautiful varigation (color is true on my screen, at least). The pattern is so interesting. If you weren’t involved in Sock Madness (I wasn’t) it is the neatest combo of lace and cable. The fit is PERFECT! Like I said, it was as if I knitted them for me or she knitted them with me around to try them on, but I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen since we live on opposite coasts! And, Sock Pal Gal, I will get a picture of me wearing them with my clogs on (she said she picked the colorway to go with my cool clogs! Sweet!

I didn’t try them on right away for all the above reasons…trees, hot, humid, yuck! But we did take a break this afternoon and I was able to shower and try them on:

and I wanted to get a shot with some of the detail:

I think you can see the lacy panel (with a few cables) in the back of the leg and the cables with some lace running down the front of the leg and along the instep.

Another successful sock swap!  When do we sign up for 5?

Whew!

Got this is the inbox today:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I love them!  They fit perfectly and are so beautiful and fun!  I love the colors!  I can’t wait to wear them! 

And, I love the keychain!  Not sure if I mentioned this, but I moved in to a new place in February, and ever since then I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a new keychain.  Now I have one!  I’m very excited about it.  It’s already in use.

Thanks for all the other goodies too!  I was so excited when I came home from work and saw the box outside my apartment.  It was like being in college again and getting a care package!

I really enjoyed the HP book.  Immediately after I finished it, I gave it to my 14-year old neice.  I hope to get it back soon because I’d really like to read the last 200 or so pages over again.

Thanks again for everything!  I’ll be sure to check out your blog now that I know who you are!  Have you gotten you socks yet?

Michelle

Yay!  She liked them!  She really liked them!

To answer her last question, no, I’ve not gotten mine.  I did get an email from Sock Pal Gal saying they are on their way and, according to UPS, they will be here tomorrow.  I can’t wait!!

Progress continues on the Hogwarts II socks…just waiting to hear a reply to a question from Holly.  But I think I know the answer.

No pictures right now but I promis that when my Sockapalooza socks arrive I will take a picture of everything else I am up to (and there is so much!).

Hello, again, Dirk!

The Postmaster has seen me more in the last few days than in the last few months! 

On Wednesday I sent off my niece’s birthday dress.

Again, maybe a little longer than I wanted but I’ll let her mother decide if it needs to be shortened.  In general, I am very pleased at how it came out.

This is an upclose of the button I crochet using the tutorial on Crochet Me.

Then this morning I dropped this in the mail:

My Sockapalooza 4 Pal’s socks with a few goodies: Knitpick’s Memories in Cape Cod, a sock blocker keychain with tiny sock made with same yarn as her socks, SOAK minis, and notebook.  I hope she enjoys and, most importantly, the socks fit!  (These also qualified for Summer of Socks 07)

Tuesday I took a class and made this:

Please pardon the area around the step. I would love to say that we are in the middle of a remodeling, but, in fact, we just pulled up the railing that seperated the den from the diningroom and are now just in a holding pattern. Who knows when we will get the time to continue.  Anyway, I just love my new stair step basket!!  Even though you are looking at the only 2 steps in my house I just had to have this basket!

This is what it looked like until about 10 seconds after I got home:
 
Now it is filled with my knitting magazines and some yarn. Surprise!!

I continue to work on my VLC and several pairs of socks.  I hope to have update pictures soon!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!